Flat-panel displays made in accordance with known liquid-crystal display (LCD) technologies are both limited in size and expensive to manufacture. Both the limitations and the high cost arise from the low processing yields as the display increases in area. Inexpensive, larger displays can be made from assembling smaller display "tiles", but such a resultant, larger display reveals the seams between the tiles. Concealing the tile seams, so that the assembled, large display looks like a continuous, one-piece unit, is a problem.
One method of making tiled displays is to assemble four tiles in a plane, using an epoxy sealant along the adjacent seams. It should be noted that even using this construction there may be a slight vertical misregistration in the aperture masking between tiles. This is due to inherent variations in the materials, components, and processes used to manufacture LCDs.
This type of construction is shown in copending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/652,032 (filed on May 21, 1996), entitled "Construction and Sealing of Tiled, Flat-Panel Displays". This method of construction consists of assembling LCD tiles in a planar fashion, by locating the appropriate fiducials disposed on each tile. The tiles are attached to cover and back plates with a refractive, index-matched adhesive. Prior to assembly, the adjacent tile edges are finished so that their final position in the assembly will provide a seamless appearance.
The pixel closest to the finished edge must remain intact. These design tolerance requirements result in processing limitations for making narrow seals, edge finishing, and assembly positioning. The allowable spatial tolerances for these operations or processes may result in an aperture ratio too small for a practical tiled display without novel designs, processes, and assembly procedure.
The present invention complements the processing methods and designs with the aforementioned construction, while maintaining the advantages of the imperceptibly visible seams of the display.
In addition, the current invention provides a method of fabricating a low-cost, seamless type of display that has superior light efficiency, increased pixel density, improved color purity and ease of assembly.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved, seamless, flat-panel display.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a flat-panel, seamless display that has superior light efficiency.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method of fabricating an inexpensive, seamless, flat-panel display.
It is another object of this invention to provide for increased pixel density, or resolution, in a tiled, flat-panel display.
It is another object of this invention to provide pixel designs for improved color purity of seamless, tiled, flat-panel displays.
It is another object of this invention to provide a design for a seamless, tiled, flat-panel displays with continuous, or monolithic polarizers.